IBM VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer V4.0 FixPak1 Readme

This Readme file contains information about installing VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer V4.0 fixpak 1. With the 4.0 release there are now two versions available. You can install VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer on Smalltalk, and you can also install VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer on Java. This Readme highlights the latest enhancements to VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer.

Note:

The most up-to-date version of the Readme for this product is the one available in the Fixpak1 package.

 

Product Enhancements

VisualAge Generator V4.0 FixPak1 contains VisualAge Generator Templates (VAGT) enhancements for the following:

     Import/Export Function

     Relational Import

     VAGT Workbench

     Generated Web Client

     Generated GUI Client

     Generated TUI

     Generation


Import/Export Function
 

•  This function has been redesigned and optimized.
•  Extensions can now be exported or imported.


Relational Import
 

• Oracle 8 support
• Comments on columns are now imported from Windows NT databases.


VAGT Workbench
 

• The VAGT Browser window now includes a third pane (to manage packages/applications).
• New VAGT Duplicate Browser window.
• On the Select Workspace window, the 'Manager' is now displayed.


Generated Web Client
 

• You can now display a list and a detail with the same Business Object in a single Interface Unit.
• The "Save" action is now implemented.

 
Generated GUI Client

• Workspace: layout margins and gaps, letter width, client object style, information messages are now taken into account on Java platform also.
• Value Styles are now taken into account on the Java platform also.
• Updatable lists are now available on the Java platform also.

 
Generated TUI
 
• TUI Generators are now available on the Java platform also.


Generation
 

• 'Reset' and 'Overwrite' options are now available on the Java platform also.
• Java platform:  the Registry Browser has been enhanced.

• Common Limitations
• VAGT Workbench:
• SQL low value and SQL high value (Workspace definition) are not exhaustively checked; these attributes should not be empty (space is a valid value).
• Web Generators:
• You should not use more than one business object in one interface unit.
• The updatable lists are not available.
• Relational Table:  'Concurrency Management' is not handled in the web client (with 'XFer' style).
• GUI Generators:
•  The '4GL' Client Logic Style (Workspace Parameter) is not implemented.
• Templates on Java Limitations
• Generation:
• If you don't use the QuickStart or a VAGT workspace produced by the QuickStart, unload the project 'IBM VAGT QuickStart Runtime'.
• GUI Generators:
• On VisualAge for Java, you need to check 'Inherit BeanInfo of Bean superclass' in the panel 'Options', under 'Visual Composition' to have your generated GUI work properly.
• GUI online help generators are not available.
• Relational Table: The 'read' concurrency management is not supported by the client.
• No BiDi support.
• Templates on Smalltalk Limitations
• Installation:

After the load of the VAGT feature, the VisualAge Organizer may have lost the current user. Ensure to set a current user before using the VAGT feature (otherwise the menu items of the VAGT Tools menu will stay disabled).
• Generation:
• If you use a workspace that was not defined with the QuickStart, it is better to unload MdlQSRuntimeApp.
• Workspace: 'Target Services Application' and  'Target Visual Application'  parameters are not taken into account. Only 'target Logic Application' is used.
• Bidi:

Although VAGT is able to provide right-to-left organized views and subviews, it depends on the abilities of VisualAge Smalltalk BiDi feature for internal positionings:
• menus inside a menu bar
• columns insude a container
• tabs inside a notebook
• Database Management:

When connecting to the database, you may have database connections  left open (an error -1445 appears), you should clean up SQL database connections so you can execute the following code to clean up the SQL interface:
SQLRequester disconnectAll

Note:

Be aware that this will also roll back all units of work.

Preparing for Installation

Hardware/Software Requirements

VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer V4.0 fixpak 1 requires the following software and hardware:

• To install VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer on Java : VisualAge Generator Developer V4.0 on Java, with fixpak 1.
• To install VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer on Smalltalk : VisualAge Generator Developer V4.0 on Smalltalk, with fixpak 1.
• Software and hardware that are required by VisualAge Generator Developer V4.0 fixpak1.

---

Installing VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer Fixpak on Java

• To download from FTP site:
1. Create a temporary directory on your hard drive.
2. Download the self-extracting executable MDL40V1N.EXE to a temporary directory on your hard drive. The address of the FTP site is ftp://ps.software.ibm.com.  This site contains information and fixes for a wide variety of other IBM products.  The files for this FixPak are located in the directory /ps/products/visualagetemplates/fixes/v4.0. You may perform an anonymous logon to this FTP site.
3. Extract the files contained in the self-extracting EXE file to the same temporary directory.
• To install VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer on Java:
1. Set the current directory to the temporary directory you created to store the FixPak files.
2. Run 'setup'.
3. When prompted, select VAGT Customizer on Java.
4. Once Customizer Fixpak has been installed, reboot.
5. From the Start menu, select Programs, then select IBM VisualAge for Java for Windows, and then select IBM VisualAge for Java to bring up the product.
6. For Workspace owner, select Administrator, and then specify your network name.
• Installing the VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer feature:
You should load the VAGT Customizer feature in a Java workspace that does not contain VAGT 'standard' feature. If you already have VAGT 'standard' feature loaded, then you should install an empty image. You can find an original ide.icx in the VisualAge for Java CD, in ivj30\backup directory.
The IBM VisualAge Generator feature is a prerequisite of VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer. Make sure that it is already loaded.
1. On the Workbench, select File>>Quick Start.
2. On the Quick Start dialog, select Features on the left. Add Feature on the right, and then select OK.
3. Select IBM VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer 4.0 + Fixpak 1, and select OK (this will take a few minutes).
4. Close the Workbench, and, then, close the Log. You will be prompted to save the workspace. Select OK to save the workspace.

---

Installing VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer Fixpak on Smalltalk

• To download from FTP site:
1. Create a temporary directory on your hard drive.
2. Download the following self-extracting executable to a temporary directory on your hard drive:
• for OS/2: MDL40V12.EXE
• for Windows/NT: MDL40V1N.EXE
The address of the FTP site is ftp://ps.software.ibm.com.  This site contains information and fixes for a wide variety of other IBM products.  The files for this FixPak are located in the directory /ps/products/visualagetemplates/fixes/v4.0. You may perform an anonymous logon to this FTP site.
3. Extract the files contained in the self-extracting EXE file to the same temporary directory.
• To install VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer on Smalltalk:
1. Set the current directory to the temporary directory you created to store the FixPak files.
2. Run 'setup' (for Windows/NT) or 'install' (for OS/2).
3. When prompted, select VAGT Customizer on Smalltalk.
4. Once Customizer has been installed, reboot.
• To load the VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer features after installing VisualAge Generator Developer on Smalltalk:
1. Before starting the workspace, you should consider saving a copy of the VisualAge for Smalltalk image named abt.icx.
2. Start VisualAge for Smalltalk.
3. Select Tools>>Load/Unload Features... on the System Transcript.
4. In the Selection Required window:
1. Make sure that "Show other features" is checked.
2. Select Other: VAGTemplates Customizer 40 - Fixpak 1 from the Available features list.
3. Click on the OK button. VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer will be imported and loaded into your workspace. The load function will also ensure loading of the prerequisites, VisualAge ODBC Database and DB2 CLI Database. This could take up to half an hour to finish.
4. Once VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer is loaded, you will be prompted to save your image. Click the Yes button so you won't have to load VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer the next time you start VisualAge for Smalltalk. By default, the image is saved as filename abt.icx. After the image is saved, you might consider making a copy of the image file.



Note:

If you get a walkback (VisualAge Debugger) window while saving the image, it probably means that you have run out of disk space. If this happens, close the VisualAge Debugger window and either free some space on your workstation and retry saving in the same place or save the image on another drive by selecting File>>Save Image As....

Updated versions of the following four books are included in the VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer Fixpak. The books are in Adobe Acrobat format. They can be installed in the MDLBOOKS subdirectory of the main install directory.

• MDLINE40.PDF - Introducing VisualAge Generator Templates (GH23-0272-00): This book gives an overview of VisualAge Generator Templates features and gets the user started with the product, guiding him through the steps required for building a simple application.
• MDLCUE40.PDF - VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer - User's Guide (SH23-0270-00): This book describes the functions of the VisualAge Generator Templates Workbench, shows the user how to implement additional functionalities to the sample application that has been built in the previous book and describes the generated application's functions, behavior and components. It also provides information on VisualAge Generator Templates customization. The user can find examples of generator customization and creation.
• MDLJRE40.PDF - VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer on Java - Reference Guide (SH23-0271-00): This book contains the reference documentation for VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer on Java. It describes the information model API, the generation framework API, the generator API, the VisualAge Generator targeted API, the VisualAge for Java targeted API.
• MDLSRE40.PDF - VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer on Smalltalk - Reference Guide (SH23-0276-00): This book contains the reference documentation for VisualAge Generator Templates Customizer on Smaltalk. It describes the information model API, the generation framework API, the generator API, the VisualAge Generator targeted API, the VisualAge for Smalltalk targeted API.